BA Digital Media

Program Overview

The BA Digital Media program at [Institution Name] provides students with in-depth knowledge and skills to pursue rewarding careers in the fast-growing digital media industry. This practice-based course covers the fundamentals of digital media production, industry-standard software, and specialized software for 3D animations, preparing graduates for diverse roles such as digital editors, web designers, and social media content managers.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Gain in-depth knowledge around one the fastest growing sectors of the creative industry. Our BA Digital Media course will give you the skills needed to start a rewarding career in this innovative field.

Outline:

Year 1

• Compulsory Modules:
The module encourages students to reflect on their own pre-existing communication practices and experiences together with their current engagement with digital media in order to extrapolate from such reflection the foundational characteristics and aspects of digital media, including interactivity, digitization, hyper textuality and the specific digital literacies involved. Sessions involve the critical analysis and discussion of reading materials, as well as practical exercises focused on specific examples from digital and social media. Students are encouraged to engage in personal reflection and collective discussion along the lines of the following questions: What is the specificity of digital media? How have communication practices changed with the introduction of digital technologies? Can you imagine a world without digital technologies and what would it look like? How are we changing, as individuals and societies, through our engagement with digital technologies? Are text-messaging, email, blogging and social networking new forms of writing? In what way is a Web page different from a printed page? What is the role of images in current communication practices? What does it mean to write for digital media or even to write software, and how is it different from writing an essay, a novel or poetry? Do revolutions in communication technologies (from the printed page to the Internet, from the radio to the podcast, from analogic imaging to digital imaging) always entail a radical transformation in how people understand themselves and their place in the world? The module examines these questions and modulates students' experience by looking at a number of authors and texts, including sociological, philosophical, anthropological, and neurological theories.
• Online Video Production: This practice-based module is designed to introduce students to the basic languages, grammars, conventions and techniques of digital video production for online media.
It provides students with the knowledge and skills to work independently, creatively and efficiently, on their own or as part of a micro-budget, mini-crew short video project whilst in charge of at least one key production element within a team. Students will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves and experiment with standard studio equipment for video and sound recording and with lab postproduction environments and technologies.
• Creative Coding: Creative Coding introduces students to the fundamental concepts, methodologies, and techniques of software development.
The module provides the foundation skills of creative coding, being followed by Wed Design and ‘User Experience’ in Year 2. Creative coding and programming are key components of Digital Design and is an in-demand skill for the workplace inside and outside of the Creative Industries. Students will practise the skills of programming and creative coding, with a focus on visual applications. They will work in a high-level language, using the tools to design, implement, build, execute, and test simple graphic applications. Creative coding provides students with core programming competencies, providing a foundation for many modules in the Digital Design programme. Creative Coding feeds into the themes and technical skills utilised in the year 2 module: Web Design, App Design, User Experience themes. The aim is to develop students’ creative coding skills, as well as an understanding of underlying principles and potential applications. The module will require students to both implement their own applications and trace the behaviour of existing scripts. Creative Coding 1 forms one of the two Digital Design views delivered in Semester 1 of Digital Design and Graphic Design.
• Transformation 1: The aims of this module are:• to develop students’ study, personal and professional skills• to launch the reflective practitioner capable of relating skills attained to employer requirements• to develop techniques necessary for the chosen specialism• to inspire curiosity and give students the freedom to pursue interests that may lie outside their main field of interest • to foster resilience and futureproof students against an ever-changing employment landscapeIn order to deliver these aims, the Transformation module adopts a theme which is then studied through a programme specific lens.
Within ADI, the first-year theme is ‘Story Telling’. Each of the specialisms (Journalism, Film Production, Dance etc) use 5 programme-based sessions to deliver content relevant to their subject area and providing the hook for employability content. The programme specific sessions are complemented by 4 ‘insight’ sessions where they are introduced to other academic areas. Insights do not aim to deliver study skills but rather to broaden horizons. They aim to expose students to other ways of thinking, designing, interrogating, etc; to broaden perspectives and to give the students ideas that should inform, impact and enrich their own practice. In an attempt to embed the insight sessions, the following programme session will invite reflection and initial thoughts on how these alternative approaches might impact and enrich the individual’s current or future practice. In week 6 of the module, students will have guest talks/workshops from ‘the field’. Alumni, industry experts and entrepreneurs will be invited to deliver these sessions.The modules in the Transformation series incorporate career and work experience into the academic student experience thereby providing Embedded Support by design. The module links to the key aims of Roehampton Futures; creating graduates who are aware of their social responsibility, equipping them with the skills for their future and with the resilience and confidence to navigate their chosen graduate career paths. The module also aligns with the EDI strategy not least in the design of the assessment.Through this module students will be actively encouraged to engage with the University Careers Service through Career Registration, and Career Pulse so they can complete the Chancellor’s Careers Award. Engagement with Colleges and University activities will also be promoted so that students are aware of the full range of activities employers look for on a CV.
• Lab 1: The Lab is an opportunity for students to work in a different discipline from their own, to work alongside students from a variety of disciplines and work with expert tutors in that field.
One lab-module at each level of study will offer multiple options for students to choose one out of a selection of thematically distinct, cross-disciplinary project-focused labs.Selecting from a pool of projects, students spend the semester focusing on a brief, through which they develop practical and intellectual skills and create outputs to add to their larger portfolio of work across their programme of study.Students will be guided to select their first project before the Winter Break and will be assigned to the appropriate project group accordingly. Students will be expected to attend weekly workshops to immerse themselves in the subject specific content needed to execute their brief. This content will be delivered using the most appropriate means (e.g., workshop, demonstration, discussion, lecture etc.) and will be supported by on-line material to enrich class interaction. Group/individual tutorial support will be available each week to ensure that students are fully supported and making steady progress.
• Digital Methods: This module introduces students to the fundamental concepts, methods and techniques to conduct online research.
Online research methods are dynamic and fast-changing, and they are a sought-after skill in the digital media and creative industries. It shows how traditional social and business research methods have been modified for effective online research and it identifies and discusses the critical issues, limitations and dilemmas encountered in the process. Students can practice skills such as online surveys, online interviews and focus groups, digital ethnography, and data collection on social media.Students explore a range of tools and platforms associated with these methods and are exposed to ongoing debates and creative ideas about a still relatively unregulated area of research. This module pays particular attention to netnography, which adapts traditional in-person participant observation techniques to the study of digital interactions and experiences. Students analyse and discuss the relevance of research in an industry context (for example, for UX design, media research or trend analysis).

Year 2

• Compulsory Modules:
• Strategic Digital Communication:
This module teaches students how to create effective multiplatform and mobile campaigns within the contemporary ecology of mobile participatory media. It introduces students to a range of topics associated with creating and managing the online presence of an organization, from content creation to the effective incorporation of responsive Websites and apps, from search engine optimization to social media integration and security issues. Students are encouraged to critically explore and analyse the concept of 'customer experience' and to develop effective narratives that achieve market impact and convey strategic meanings on a given topic. Students develop campaign planning and production skills, including the uses of digital and social media for marketing and advertising, social media management and different approaches to digital media content creation, sharing and curation. This module gives them the opportunity to apply digital media production skills to the implementation of a cross-platform campaign.
• Transformation 2: Transformation 2 builds upon Transformation 1 and provides an opportunity for students to develop a range of competencies associated with employment; determine or refine their career plans; begin or develop their own business.
It continues to foster resilience, innovation and the confidence to enter the graduate jobs market with a portfolio of completed placements/projects etc that demonstrate engagement in the field. Throughout this and Transformation 3, the emphasis is on ‘real world’ experiential learning that maximizes the benefits of placement/projects for students’ interests, ambitions and future career development.The module has a flexible design which allows students to play to their strengths and confidence levels but provides sufficient stretch to permit greater experimentation within this module or at level 6. To achieve this, students will be guided, as appropriate, to tackle a “wicked problem” within UR/local community (e.g., strategic priorities around reducing carbon footprint); take a more traditional placement opportunity in a company, school, or charitable organization, for example; work on their own entrepreneurial project; or pursue international projects (e.g., through the Turing Scheme).Each year, the module will provide a “shelf” of ready-made project ideas and challenges that students can select. Students will be guided in the selection from the “shelf” based largely on a RAG rating determined by their performance in Transformation 1. Students can also find their own project and will be allowed to pursue this if it is safe and appropriate for them to do so. Research shows that students from ADI are more likely to set up their own business whilst studying than students from other Schools, so building entrepreneurship into the provision is essential. Students will be encouraged to engage with LaunchPad: the entrepreneurship competition funded by Santander which awards Business Start Up grants to successful applicants. Alumni who were successful in securing a grant will be invited back to meet current students and share the secret of their success.Students will be encouraged to complete some LinkedIn Learning courses to develop their digital skills. Where students do not fit easily into a placement/wicked problem/business development etc., they will be encouraged to take several LinkedIn Learning courses, providing a brief log for each to indicate why it was important to them, the potential benefit to their career prospects and an amended CV detailing successful training.The modules in the Transformation series incorporate career and work experience into the academic student experience thereby providing Embedded Support by design. The module links to the key aims of Roehampton Futures; creating graduates who are aware of their social responsibility, equipping them with the skills for their future and with the resilience and confidence to navigate their chosen graduate career paths. The module also aligns with the EDI strategy not least in the design of the assessment.As in Transformation 1, we will continue to actively encourage to engage with the University Careers Service through Career Registration, and Career Pulse so they can complete the Chancellor’s Careers Award. Engagement with Colleges and University activities will also be promoted so that students are aware of the full range of activities employers look for on a CV.
• Lab 2: Lab 2 is an opportunity for students to work in a different discipline from their own, to work alongside students from a variety of disciplines and work with expert tutors in that field.
Choosing a topic from a set list of project titles (see below), students work on a project brief over the second semester (as in Lab 1). This will enable them to consolidate skills and techniques encountered in year 1 and, crucially, develop additional practical and intellectual skills as they create the second output to add to their larger portfolio of work. This portfolio is intended to allow them to showcase their talents to prospective employers, clients, or investors.Students will be guided to select their second project before the Winter Break and will be assigned to the appropriate project group accordingly.
• Software Cultures: This module introduces students to the idea of software as a social and cultural phenomenon.
It encourages them to engage critically with the social, political and economic implications of digital and social media communities and cultures, to reflect on their own engagement with software as a cultural and social agent. To this end, we consider conventional tools (e.g., software packages), environments and platforms, and the implications of generative (AI) systems. As developing practitioners in the creative industries, students will be invited to pay particular attention to ideas of creativity, labour, assets and property. The module presents students with an overview of specialist academic fields such as software studies, social media studies, critical sociology and labour studies. All these fields and approaches are meant to deepen students’ theoretical understanding of software, digital media and to provide them with the culture to balance contextual knowledge essential to future media professionals with developments in the contemporary digital world.
• Web Design: Web Design introduces students to the key topics in front-end web development.
It will enable students to design, create and test sophisticated user interfaces. Combined with the ‘back-end’ focussed software development, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills of ‘full stack’ web development. Use of industry standard tools such as development frameworks, JavaScript, CSS pre-processors, responsive design and flexible layouts will equip students to design and develop to professional standards, for a range of web-enabled devices.
• App Design: This module introduces students to Web application design.
Students have the opportunity to engage closely with methodologies and programming techniques for app design. They learn how to develop a Web app from ideation to designing, developing, testing, debugging and publishing the app.The ecology of contemporary cross-platform communication is also addressed in this module in order to frame web app design within the broader context of advertisement and campaigning. Students are given the opportunity to experiment with interactive media creation, to work with industry-standard software including Augmented and Virtual Reality tools and to develop an awareness of the economic, social and cultural forces that shape the development and uses of cross-platform communication technologies.

Placement Year

• Work Placement Year: This module provides an opportunity for an optional work placement year between the second and third year of the degree.
This module is available as an option to all students studying on the listed programmes.Please note that this is additional to the 360 credits of a 3-year degree programme.Participating in a work placement year will enable students to develop employability skills across a longer period. It thus complements and builds on the employability skills developed through the curriculum throughout the first two years of the degree programme.This is a full-time professional work placement in a role with graduate-level learning opportunities. In the event that a placement lasting 12 months (52 weeks) is not possible, or the placement is cut short for any reason, then the placement must last a minimum of 9 months / 39 weeks (that is, each placement should last between 1260-1680 hours).It is possible that there may be a second employer during the 12-month period, in agreement with the Head of School/Department and Head of Placements and Work Experience. The aim of the professional placement is to provide students with an opportunity to develop experience in managing real-life issues in the workplace that:a) will enhance graduate attributes, and b) give an opportunity to critically review and evaluate the relevance of subject-specific-related theories and practices in a real-world context.Students are responsible for sourcing their own placements.

Year 3

• Compulsory Modules:
• Digital Project Management:
This module introduces students to the theoretical and practical principles of digital media management and enterprise. Students who take this module develop key skills in managing individual and team projects and will be well-equipped to work in management roles in the creative industries in areas that involve the development of digital media. This module explores all aspects of project management, including team management, client handling, the planning and production cycle, resources, budgeting and marketing, outsourcing, digital asset management, copyright, and legal issues. Students work together to respond to industry briefs and to plan and execute a production cycle, developing their management skills, their ability to work collaboratively and their knowledge of professional codes of practice.
• Transformation 3: With the emphasis on ‘real world’ experiential learning, Transformation 3 builds upon Transformation 2 and provides an opportunity for students to further enhance or consolidate the competencies associated with employment developed in Transformation 2; determine or refine their career plans; begin or continue to develop their own business.
It continues to foster resilience, innovation and the confidence to enter the graduate jobs market with a portfolio of completed placements/projects that demonstrate engagement in the field or across related fields. The module has a flexible design which allows students to play to their strengths and confidence levels but provides sufficient stretch to permit greater experimentation. To achieve this, students will be guided, as appropriate, to tackle a “wicked problem” within UR/local community (e.g., strategic priorities around reducing carbon footprint); take a more traditional placement opportunity in a company, school, or charitable organization, for example; work on their own entrepreneurial project; or pursue international projects (e.g., through the Turing Scheme).The module will provide a “shelf” of ready-made project ideas and challenges that students can select. Students will be guided in the selection from the “shelf” based largely on a RAG rating determined by their performance in Transformation 2. Students can also find their own project and will be allowed to pursue this if it is safe and appropriate for them to do so. AT level 6, students will be encouraged to be more ambitious, though ‘ambition’ will be measured against the individual student’s progress and achievement at Level 5.Research shows that students from ADI are more likely to set up their own business whilst studying than students from other Schools, so building entrepreneurship into the provision at every level is essential. In Transformation 3, we will continue to encourage them to engage with LaunchPad: the entrepreneurship competition funded by Santander which awards Business Start Up grants to successful applicants. Alumni who were successful in securing a grant will be invited back to meet current students and share the secret of their success.
• Lab 3: The Lab is an opportunity for students to work in a different discipline from their own, to work alongside students from a variety of disciplines and work with expert tutors in that field.As in Labs 1 and 2, students select a project brief which they work on over the second semester.
This will enable them to put skills and techniques encountered in Years 1 and 2 into practice at an advanced standard and, crucially, develop additional practical and intellectual skills as they create the final output to add to their portfolio of work. This portfolio is intended to allow them to showcase their talents to prospective employers, clients, or investors.
• Project Proposal: The Project Proposal asks the students to research, develop, prototype and present a project within their specialism.
This module forms the proposal stage for the spring module Independent Project, where the students will make their proposal a reality. In developing their projects, students will be guided through the different practical aspects of project working (e.g., resources, budgets, milestones, collaboration, stakeholders, technical requirements and ethics). Alongside this, weekly sessions will ask the students to articulate individual project objectives via stated aims, milestones, proposed outcomes, impact and potential future development. Building on primary and secondary research, students deliver a comprehensive presentation (pitch) alongside a prototype/working model of the project. In the case of written dissertation-style research projects, this will take the form of an outline with chapter summaries.
• Independent Project: This module gives students a valuable opportunity to showcase the knowledge and skills they will have acquired in the course of the programme, demonstrating how they can put into practice their analytical, critical and implementational skills to develop and produce a capstone project appropriate to their degree specialism.Students develop and build on their skills and experience (e.g., project design, research skills, coding, user experience, web design and technical and production skills), as well as their ability to conceptualise, manage and bring to completion a project to a professional standard.This module is designed to follow directly on from Project Proposal and to demonstrate the students’ capacity to engage with, and successfully resolve, a sustained programme of independent study.
Students will be expected to initiate and develop their own programme of study using the practical skills and theoretical reflection they will have developed during their programme of study. The module will develop the student’s ability to pursue a rigorous and sustained practice-based project, which will be informed by a considered engagement with theoretical discourse. It will demand initiative and an ability to set and meet realistic goals and targets. Students will be expected to build on the work done throughout their programmes of study, utilising appropriate facilities as provided by the School of Arts and Digital Industries, in order to draw their studies to a successful resolution and prepare them for future professional development.
• Visual Research: Images form a crucial means of communicating knowledge and ideas and research within the field of media and culture is largely visual in nature.
Existing images, such as photographs and films, provide researchers with interesting objects to analyse and the world is now understood to be marked by a concern with visuality and the authenticity of visuals. Researchers, in academia and industry, deploy visual and creative methods as a research strategy and as such their work marks a critical and dynamic space of innovation. Within the context of this course students will be introduced to a range of case-examples, relating to the practical use of media - including photography, video, drawing and maps - in undertaking research. Through a series of weekly tasks students will have hands on experience of these methods. In the context of a final small-scale pilot project they will develop their understanding of one method in depth. They will be shown how to carry out a visual research project of their own, exploring further the practical issues and ethical concerns associated with research of this kind. The course will be particularly useful for those working on an image-based dissertation project or independent study, and will provide a wealth of experience relating to the experimental use of visual media, applicable following graduation.

Foundation Year

• Compulsory Modules:
• Communication for Academic Purposes 1:
This module aims to equip students with:1. A basic understanding of use of English for Academic Purposes (terminology, concepts, ideas, etc.) in order to engage successfully with the level 4 modules on a degree programme;2. A thorough grounding in academic study skills (essay structure, referencing, journal and library research, etc.) Transferable and lifelong learning skills, to support continuing professional development and educational achievement.
• Communication for Academic Purposes 2: This module aims to equip students with:1.
Enhanced core skills in English, to a level that would be required in order to engage successfully with the level 4 modules on a degree programme;2. A basic understanding of use of English for Academic Purposes (terminology, concepts, ideas, etc.) in order to engage successfully with the level 4 modules on a degree programme;3. A thorough grounding in academic study skills (essay structure, exam technique, referencing, journal and library research, etc.) Transferable and lifelong learning skills, to support continuing professional development and educational achievement. They will also develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills through hands-on activities, group projects, and case studies. By the end of the module, students should be able to use these effectively and appropriately to support their academic and professional work.The module will cover the following topics:1. Data Management3. Communication Technologies4. Digital Media5. Numerical Concepts6. Real-World Problem-SolvingThis module is designed to provide students with the foundational knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a variety of academic and professional contexts. The use of Microsoft Office tools allows students to develop practical skills that can be applied in their academic work and future careers. The module is also relevant to a range of professional contexts, as proficiency in using Microsoft Office tools is often expected in future courses and the workplace. Students will develop a range of academic and professional skills essential for success in higher-level academic courses and in a range of professional contexts. Students who complete this module will be better prepared to use technology and numerical-based problem-solving techniques effectively to support their academic work and future careers.
• Academic Inquiry and Exploration: The purpose of this module is to shift the emphasis of learning onto the students and apply subject-specific knowledge to one of the following contemporary topics: in(equality) or a protected characteristic.
Students will need to demonstrate the ability to utilise the academic and subject-specific toolkit acquired through previous modules to manage their own learning, and in partnership with your tutors, negotiate, plan and carry out an investigation into the chosen topic. The module requires students to evidence readiness for entry into Level 4 of the degree programme through the e-portfolio which will contain a log of seminar activities.

Teaching:

The course is practice based with a foundation in theory. You'll start with the fundamentals of digital media production, before specialising in an interest area chosen by you. On this course, you will learn:

• Industry standard software including Adobe Creative Cloud Suite and Final Cut Pro
• Coding languages that are foundational to the front-end of modern websites and online applications: HTML, CSS, and Javascript
• Specialised software for making 3D animations
Throughout the course, you’ll be supported by a dedicated and passionate team of lecturers and sector professionals.

Careers:

Upon graduation, you'll be equipped for a diverse range of roles in the digital media landscape, including:

• Digital editor and writer
• Digital communication manager
• Web designer
• Digital campaign manager
• Social media content manager
• Online advertiser
• Digital assets curator
• UX designer
• Interactive media designer

Other:

This innovative BA Digital Media programme will shape you into a proficient digital media professional capable of:

• Designing cross-platform digital communication products
• Developing digital campaigns
• Building websites, mobile apps, and immersive, interactive experiences
The programme is designed in response to the demands of the digital media industry, offering a learning experience directly applicable to future employment opportunities. Stay ahead in technically driven creation, mastering the creation of graphic and interactive interfaces, and planning and designing immersive digital experiences. Upon graduation, become a highly-skilled digital media designer equipped with sought-after skills including content creation, A/V production for digital media, interactive storytelling, design for multimedia, web and app design, and digital and social media management.

September 2024 entry tuition fees Year one fees UK: £9,250 Placement year: £998 EU and International: £15,750 Placement year: £998